New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-08-03
casionally Marco come in, and walked

~ SsA0 TO AOI q ~ w 8AuOuSIlIS. ne pstlu
little attention to US, and was not IN
terested in our attempts. The fees.
which we gave him he received, but
with Indifference and without thanks.
DO you not think the angel beau
tiful?n / asked one day.
oh, yes he answered quietly, ..but
we have many others that are beautiful
ALSO y
Another time said, what do you
do all day?
There is much to do, he answered
much. The dust must be kept from
all the frames, and there must be no
dampness. The flies must be destroyed
also. There is much to do
When my brother came back at last
from his pilgrimage, we related our
story and took him to see our
angel. He admired it as much as we
did; but manlike, he brushed away all
our fine spun fancies that it could not,
would not be copied, that twas too
beautiful to possess, but must fade
back into the heaven from whence it
came, remembered but unpictured,
like a vision in a dream.
I He announced his intention of search
Ing OUT OlgnOr AccOltl.
Do you mean the wicked nephew?''
l said. For Lucy and always called
him by that name.
Il shall be hardly likely to inquire
for him by that title at the door, said
Edward smiling.
The wicked nephew turned out on
acquaintance to be fat, afable, mid
ble-aged italian, with dlmpled white
hands and taste for vegetable gard
ening. The frescoes in the little chap
el were painted. he said some time in
the sixteenth century, by a young artist
an obscure person, patronized by one
OF his ancestors, who had a taste for
discovering geniuses which, however,
generally led to nothing. This artist,
whoever he was died young, the chap
el being his only extended work. Of
course the frescoes, having no name
attached We're worthless. They were
subsequently whitewashed over and so
remained until about forty years ago
when his uncle had the fancy to have
them uncovered; but only little was
done when his sad malady seized him.
All, there was fate! To be mindless
while the body lived on! Poor old
man! He (''the wicked nephew') had
often wept over him.
Photographed? Yes, certainly; that
is, if old Marco would allow it. (Here
the nephew laughed heartily If he
would not allow it, we might as we'll
attempt to take a fortified tower.
AS we were not rich enough to buy
chapels, or the walls of chapels we de-
nj IN
photographed, although it seemed in a
certain sense like Dissertation. But
when we proposed it to Marco he went
into one of his cold, fierce RACES, and
said that it should not be and that he
would not admit the photographer.
He was as good as his word and al
though we brought the man there three
times, and exhausted ourselves with
entreaty and brides. he refused to open
the door and we remained outside in
company with nearly all the inhabit-
ants of the Via Lorenzini, assembled to
see the seige.
The summer heat was increasing and
Switzerland was awaiting us; but we
longed for our angel. At last Lucy and
| thought of another plan. We took
with us to the old palace copyist, an
English girl who had peculiar skill
IN catching the most delicate shades of
expression. We introduced her some
what deceitfully. as "a friend,'' and
then while she was at work, we took
turns in asking old Marco to '.explain
the pictures to us in the somber
rooms below This he was ALWAYS
ready to do; and the ruse succeeded
admirably until one day when he stole
upstairs without letting US know, and
coming stealthily in behind the Eng
lish girl, looked at her work over her
shoulder and then, suddenly stretching
out his hand seized it and dashed it to
the ground. Her frightened cry
brought us to the scene, where we
found her half faintng with terror and
Marco stamping on the copy,
''But we copied it too, Marco" T
said, trying to soothe him.
.'You traed,': said the old man, with
a whitening scorn for the first time
using the second person in addressing
us. 'But no one would ever have
known your copies!'
My brother was not with us that day
and we three women had to 60; he
would not allow US to stay longer.
And think on the whole, we were
rather glad to reach the street again.
But the next morning we went ,dack
reinforced by Edward anu an abund-
ance of gifts; even the English girl was
fascinated by our angel.
Old Marco admitted US. He was no
longer angry, there was look OF in
difference on his face which made us
hope that he had forgotten it ALL But
through the whole Of both the long
visitas of empty rooms he made us 60
while he gave us minute descriptions
of all the vanished paintings. a desctip-
ton which was never varied by so
much as a new comma. We did not dare
to interrupt him lest it should rouse his
wrath again, and so we held our peace
and went through the ordeal as graci-
ously as we could. At last it was over,
OF his own accord he pointed down the
corridor.